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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Halloween traditionally is celebrated on 31st
October. It is a festival that can be traced to ancient Ireland where they
celebrated what was known as ‘samhain’,
pronounced as sow’en or swo’een, which was observed to mark the
end of summer and the onset of winter. It was celebrated with lighting of
bonfires and sacrifices and offerings to the dead. It was popularly believed
that the dead would come down in the form of ghosts and spirits. Since the idea
of ghosts and spirits moving around freely was a scary thought, people would
come out of their houses and light bonfires and stay together.

Samhain has undergone many modifications
from its ancient Irish origin. It is said that when the Romans attacked the
Irish region, the festival underwent modification by adding the worship of
Poloma, who was the Roman goddess of trees and fruits and the festival of Feralia,
held to pay respects to the dead. Soon the Celtic festival gave way to
Christian faith and the 1st of Nov started to be celebrated as ‘All Saints
Day’ and Nov 2nd as ‘All Soul’s Day’. Over time, the popular
festivals got merged and soon it emerged as a fun-filled festival of Halloween,
as we see it today.

It
was the Irish immigrants who brought the festival to USA where it is extremely
popular. They were also credited with bringing the custom of carving
jack-o’-lanterns out of pumpkins. This brings us the interesting story of
‘Stingy Jack’.

Once
upon a time there was an old man by the name of Jack, who was good for nothing
and would be drunk the whole day and play tricks on just about everybody. Once
he ran into the Devil himself and tricked him into offering his soul for the
exchange of one last drink. The Devil quickly turned into six pence to pay the
bartender, but no sooner had the Devil done this, Jack took the coin and put it
in his pocket which was next to a silver cross that he always carried with him.
The Devil could not get back to its form and Jack would not let him go till he
had bargained ten more years of life.

After
ten years the Devil came to take his soul. Jack agreed to go with him, but
requested for an apple from a nearby tree. The Devil agreed and jumped up the
tree to pluck an apple. As soon as the Devil was on the tree, Jack placed
numerous crosses all around the tree and the Devil was trapped once again. This
time Jack bargained that when he died the Devil would not take his soul. The
Devil had no choice and so he agreed to it for his release.

After
many years, when Jack died, he went to the Gates of Heaven, but was denied
entry due to his wrong ways when he was alive. Disheartened he went to Hell and
asked the Devil if he could enter, but the Devil decided to honour his promise
and denied him entry. So Jack was worried as to where could he go? To this the
Devil replied, that he could go back where he came from, having the last laugh.

The
way back was very dark and windy, so Jack requested the Devil to give him some
light to find his way back. The Devil gave him some burning embers from the
fires of hell, which he placed in a hollowed-out turnip, which was Jacks
favourite food, and was always with him as and when he could steal them. Since
then Stingy Jack is supposed to be doomed to roam the earth in search of a
resting place for his soul with his lit-up turnip trying to finding his way in
the darkness.

In
due course, the turnip has given way to the ubiquitous pumpkin and is now a favourite
on Halloween.

There
are many references of unrestrained mischief during these days, and to bring
some method in the madness, a sense of permissiveness was granted and thus some
controlled mischief in the form of innocent fun was introduced. Thus today,
there are costume parties and children knock on neighbours doors saying “trick
or treat” implying, that if they are not given a treat, then they would play
tricks or pranks on them. The friendly neighbours then oblige with sweets and
candies to ‘avoid the trick’! This way, the trick is orderly and a sense of
bonhomie is created without any unwanted and unexpected nuisance. However, the
costumes have remained those of ghosts, devils, witches and goblins.

The
spiritual significance is not lost on people on this day. The children are made
to remember their grand-parents and all that they have left for them, in terms
of love and lessons. One also pays homage to ones ancestors on this day, and
thus besides celebration, the day is also for remembrances.

Since
I play to tricks and give no treats for nothing (quite a Devil, some might
say!), here’s wishing all my readers...

Thursday, October 25, 2012

So yesterday on the occasion of Dusherra,
Ravan was burnt with all the fanfare and celebration that goes with the victory
of good over evil. In my last couple of articles, we have seen that Ravan was
quite a good King and his subjects were very happy under his rule. He was also
religious, as he was ardent devotee of both Lord Brahma and Shiva. In his
previous births, he was in service of Lord Vishnu.

Legend has it
that when Ram had to conduct a puja
before the war with Ravan, the rituals were presided over by none other than
Ravan himself as there were no Brahmins in that area. Knowing well, that the
rituals were to be conducted against his own self, he followed his duty of a
Brahmin well. Ravan is supposed to have parted with his knowledge of
administration to Ram before he breathed his last. Ram is supposed to have
accepted Ravan as his guru for that brief moment and what we know as Ramrajya (rule of Lord Ram) is nothing
but based on Ravan’s knowledge of administration. Finally, Ram had even to
undergo penalty for killing Ravan, as killing Ravan was akin to brahma-hatya, killing of a Brahmin, a
grave sin in those days.

Then why is
Ravan still the villain of the epic? Why do we still burn his effigy every
year, year after year with such joy and élan?

Ravan was the
epitome of manhood but in the epic he has been shown as what a man should not
be. Despite all the good qualities, the major error in his character was his hubris. He was a walking embodiment of
pride and arrogance. In Hindu mythology, folklore, etc. pride and arrogance has
been treated with a lot of contempt and has always been looked down upon, even
amongst gods. Many a god has been humbled when pride sets in him. Why are we so
averse to Pride? Pride and arrogance steals humility from man and when he loses
his humility, he loses his ability to distinguish between right and wrong.

Ravan had lots
of good qualities for which he was awarded with boons and recognition too. But
all the virtues are what they are only when they are accompanied with humility
and not arrogance. He is a stark contrast to the maryada-purshottam (man among men) Lord Ram.

With reference
to the epic Ramayana, however vile be the act of Lakshaman in mutilating
Surpanakha’s face, the same cannot be justified with kidnapping of another
man’s wife, as an act of retribution. What the author of the epic might be
trying to establish is the difference between the way of the civilised and the
rule of the jungle. What Lakshaman did was not a civilised act, but then Ravan
was a King and an extremely educated and well-versed one at that. Where did all
the education and knowledge go when faced with a personal crisis of sorts? Was
it fair for a King to endanger his entire kingdom for what was apparently a
personal problem? A good King and an able administrator must distinguish
between what is a threat to his persona as against his nation. It is not that
he did not have good advisors – Mandodari, his wife did advise him to give up
his claim on Sita and so did many others. But Ravan was consumed by his hubris and thus could not distinguish
between what was wrong and what was not.

The long and
short of it all is, that yes, Ravan was unparalleled in his stature, but such
characters whose vision is impaired by pride and arrogance can be annihilated
by even a mortal. No matter how virtuous one is, a single vice can be fatal and
unpardonable. In Ravan, we see the fatal in abundance and thus all the boons
and virtues are of no help during the final act.

The burning of
Ravan’s effigy is not to be seen as burning of the character of Ravan, but
burning of the evil in the character. When we burn Ravan, we burn all that’s
evil in ourselves and around us. If we are not doing that, then we are simply
following a ritual, and not participating in the act. There are a number of temples
in India dedicated to Ravan, as a hero; I sincerely hope they are worshipping
what was good in him and not doing so as an act of being anti-establishment or
anti-Aryan!

With this I
conclude my series on Ravan. I hope I have done justice to the character who
had the capability of heroism in him, but due to a significant error in his
character, ended up being an ant-hero in the epic Ramayana.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Many scholars
have said many things about Ravan’s womanising ways, but that too is a
contradiction in the opinion of many. Many have said that though he had many
wives, which was probably a norm for Kings in those days, he always respected
women. This can also be understood by the fact that his subjects were both happy
in his regime and respected him as a King. A kingdom cannot be happy and
content, if the women in the kingdom were insecure. Besides, many felt that his
kidnapping of Sita, had less to do with his womanising ways or lust for women,
than revenge for the wrongful mutilation of his beautiful sister, Surpanakha. However,
there are different opinions on this matter, based on different versions. Let
us understand this in a slight detail.

According to one
version, a sage-woman by the name of Vedavati was performing penance to
propitiate Lord Vishnu and gain him as a husband. Ravan was moved by her beauty
which seemed to have been enhanced due to the penance, but she rejected his
advances. When Ravan tried to force himself on her, she is supposed to have
ended her life by burning herself. Before dying, she had vowed to be the cause
of his death in her next birth. Later Vedavati is reborn as the first child of
Ravan and Mandodari. It had already been prophesied that Mandodari’s first born
would be the cause of Ravan’s death. On the birth of their daughter, she was
ordered to be killed. However, Subahu, who was given the task of killing the
child, was unable to kill the baby-girl and abandoned the child and lied to
Ravan that he had killed her. The child was later found by King Janak, who
brought up the child as Sita (also known as Vedavati, sometimes) and the rest
as they say, is history.

There is another
version of his alleged womanising ways. According to this version, Ravan tried
to force himself on Rambha, an apsara,
who was already engaged to Kuber’s (Ravan’s elder brother) son. Rambha pleaded
to let her go as she was like a daughter to him, but Ravan could not be
deterred. Seeing this, Kuber’s son cursed him that if he ever tried to force
himself on any woman, then his ten heads would fall of his head. Some scholars
also say that it was for this reason that Ravan could not violate Sita’s
chastity when she was in his custody, and not necessarily due to his strong
character and will, which many of Ravan’s admirers feel.

As I mentioned
there are different opinions about Ravan’s womanising ways, but his strong will
and the strength of character cannot be questioned. Many have also opined that
he was well aware of the fact that Sita was his daughter, and it was due to
this that he never even touched Sita. His only objective was to avenge his sister’s
insult. Or was there some other objective?

Let me tell you
a story here –

Once, when Vishnu
was in his abode, Viakuntha, there were two dwarpal
(gatekeepers) by the name of Jaya and Vijaya. Once when the Sanath Kumars (sons
of Lord Brahma, who were born out of his mind, and thus are also known as
Brahma’s manasputra) were visiting
Vishnu, they were not allowed entry, as the Kumars were in the form of small
children, and thus were not recognisable. However, this denial by the dwarpal angered the Kumars and they
cursed Jaya and Vijaya that they would be expelled from Vaikuntha and would be
born on earth. Vishnu however, agreed to mitigate the curse, after all they
were just doing their duty. Vishnu gave them a choice. They could take seven
births as devotees of Lord Vishnu or three births as enemies of Lord Vishnu.
Jaya and Vijaya chose the option of enemies as this could bring them back to
Vaikuntha and serve their Lord earlier than as devotees.

In the first
birth, Jaya and Vijay were born as Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha, who were
killed by Vishnu as Narasimha and Varaha. In the second birth, they were born
as Ravana and Kumbhakarna, who were killed by Vishnu as Ram and in the third birth;
they were born as Sishupala and Dantavakra, who were killed by Vishnu as Lord
Krishna. After these three births, Jaya and Vijaya return to Vaikuntha to serve
their Lord.

Ravan Kidnapping Sita - Raja Ravi Verma

Coming back to
Ravana, could his kidnapping of Sita (aka Lakshmi) be a way to come face to
face with his Lord Vishnu and enhance the end of his second birth? Is this
another case of pre-ordained destiny?

Well as they
say, gods have their own ways and who are we mere mortals to understand them!! Leela, as they say!!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Some time back,
I wrote about Ravan’s family (Ravan's Family – Kumbhakarna, Ravan's Family – Surpanakha , ravans-family-meghnaad , ravans-family-vibhishan ). Some of my readers felt it strange that I left
out Ravan himself. Was I playing safe and being politically correct? My answer
to all is a loud No. I am a great admirer of Ravan as a character who had lots
to admire about. A few aspects of his nature were definitely not what can be
considered to be ‘popular’, to put it mildly, but even with them, the character
of Ravan needs some critical appreciation.

Critics might question
the timing of this article, especially when the nation is getting ready to burn
effigies of this character, but then, man today is more rational than when the
rituals started. I am hoping that today we can differentiate between what is
good and what is evil and at the end of it all we will burn only the evil and
retain all that is good.

Ravan was born
to a Brahmin sage Vishrava and the Daitya
princess Kaikesi (it is important to note that the word ‘daitya’ should not be understood as a giant; this could just be a
community during those times, however, strength was a quality with this
community as mentioned in the myth). It is said that Kaikesi’s father wanted
her to marry the most powerful person on earth, so that they could produce
exceptional children. He rejected all the kings, as none were greater than he.
Kaikesi then identified sage Vishrava, but unfortunately she had approached him
at an inauspicious hour. Vishrava warned her about this as this implied that
her children would have evil leanings, but nevertheless agreed to marry her.
Thus Ravan was half Brahmin from his father’s side.

Ravan is
sometimes referred to as Dashamukha,
implying that he had ten heads. In mythology, such references are significant.
Some sources say that he was so named as his face reflected ten faces from the
crystal necklace that his father had gifted him on his birth. A more commonly
accepted explanation is that he was so intelligent, that he had the brains of
ten people. Under the tutelage of his father, Ravan is supposed to have learned
all the Vedas and other holy scriptures. He was also well-versed with the art
and crafts of the Kashatriya
community. Under the guidance of his maternal grandfather, he was well-versed
with all the ethics of the Daitya
community. He is also depicted with twenty hands, once again implying that he
was very strong or that his strength was equal to that of ten people. He was
gifted in music too, and was supposed to be an excelled Veena player.

Ravan is
supposed to have undergone a severe penance to propitiate Lord Brahma, who
pleased with his penance, granted him a boon. Ravan asked for immortality, but
Brahma denied the same. Ravan then asked for invulnerability from all gods, and
other heavenly spirits, besides demons and all kinds of serpents and animals.
It was beyond his stature to ask for invulnerability from humans at that stage
of his life (which is why Vishnu had to take the human form of Rama later in
the epic).

Armed with the
boon of invulnerability he was made the head of the Lankan army by his
grandfather. But Ravan was not satisfied by just the leadership of the army and
so asked for the entire Lanka, which was ruled by his elder brother Kuber. His
grandfather suggested to Kuber to concede to his suggestion as Ravan was unbeatable. Though Ravan is supposed to have usurped the throne of Lanka, his
subjects were very happy and satisfied under his rule. It is said that even the
poorest of the poor in his kingdom had utensils of gold and hunger was not
known to anybody. The fact that later poets have called Lanka a kingdom of gold
could just be a metaphor for the great rule and life under the rule of Ravan.

Ravan was a
great devotee of Lord Shiva. Once Ravan tried to please him by trying to take
his abode with him to Lanka and in his devotion, he tried to uproot the entire
Mount Kailash. Seeing his abode shake, Shiva got irritated with him and pressed
him down with his toe. The pinning down was both painful and also a lesson of
humility for him. To please Shiva he sang paeans in honour of Lord Shiva for
many years. In Shiva’s honour Ravan is supposed to have composed the Shiva Tandav Stotra, a form of dance
worship. Pleased with his devotion, Shiva had gifted him the coveted weapon,
the Chandrahas (moon-blade), and
Ravan became a life-long devotee of Lord Shiva.

The episode has been very
beautifully carved out in one of the sculptures in Ellora Caves, Maharashtra,
India –

Next we
will read about Ravan and women in his life and his alleged misdemeanours.

About Me

Utkarsh has qualifications in Mythology, both Indian and World from Mumbai University. He is also a faculty on the subject of Comparative Mythology, at the Mumbai University, India. Utkarsh is also a regular trainer and lecturer on varying subjects at private organisations and educational institutions.

Utkarsh has more than 2 decades of experience in Sales and Business Development of IT products and solutions. He has worked with some of the well known IT organisations, some being start-ups, in India. Utkarsh is also a regular trainer and lecturer on varying subjects at private organisations and educational institutions.

Besides his Blog he is also a content provider to a few portals on similar subjects. Some of his short stories have been published in the well known literary story Blog, called LITIZEN. Utkarsh has also written a book on the subject of mythological-fiction, and working on another one, both of which are expected to be published in the next few months.